Radio access node, communication terminal and methods performed therein

ABSTRACT

Embodiments herein relate to a communication terminal ( 10 ) for handling communication, which communication terminal ( 10 ) is being served by a radio access node ( 12, 13 ) in a first cell ( 11 ) on a carrier of a licensed frequency spectrum and cross-carrier scheduled in a second cell ( 14 ) on a carrier of an unlicensed frequency spectrum by the radio access node ( 12, 13 ) via the first cell ( 11 ). The communication terminal receives an indication that data may be scheduled for the communication terminal ( 10 ) on a data channel in the second cell ( 14 ). The communication terminal attempts to detect presence of the data channel intended for the communication terminal ( 10 ). Then, in case the communication terminal ( 10 ) detects presence of the data channel intended for the communication terminal ( 10 ), the communication terminal ( 10 ) decodes the data channel. In case the communication terminal ( 10 ) does not detect presence of the data channel intended for the communication terminal ( 10 ), the communication terminal ( 10 ) indicates a non-detection of the data channel to the radio access node ( 12, 13 ).

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/908,377, filed Jan. 28, 2016, which is a 35 U.S.C. § 371 nationalphase filing of International Application No. PCT/SE2015/050954, filedSep. 10, 2015, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 62/048,289, filed Sep. 10, 2014, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments herein relate to a radio access node, a communicationterminal and methods performed therein. In particular embodiments hereinrelate to scheduling a control channel and/or a data channel to acommunication terminal.

BACKGROUND

In a typical wireless communication network, communication terminals,also known as wireless devices and/or user equipments (UEs), communicatevia a Radio Access Network (RAN) to one or more core networks. The RANcovers a geographical area which is divided into cell areas, with eachcell area being served by a radio access node such as a base station,e.g., a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may also becalled, for example, a “NodeB” or “eNodeB”. A cell is a geographicalarea where radio coverage is provided by the radio base station at abase station site or an antenna site in case the antenna and the radiobase station are not co-located. Each cell is identified by an identitywithin the local radio area, which is broadcast in the cell. Anotheridentity identifying the cell uniquely in the whole wirelesscommunication network is also broadcasted in the cell. One radio accessnode may have one or more cells. The radio access nodes communicate overthe air interface operating on radio frequencies with the communicationterminals within range of the radio access nodes with downlinktransmissions towards the communication terminals and uplinktransmission from the communication terminals.

A Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a thirdgeneration wireless communication system, which evolved from the secondgeneration (2G) Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). The UMTSterrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) is essentially a RAN usingwideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) and/or High Speed PacketAccess (HSPA) for wireless devices. In a forum known as the ThirdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP), telecommunications supplierspropose and agree upon standards for third generation networks and UTRANspecifically, and investigate enhanced data rate and radio capacity. Insome versions of the RAN as e.g. in UMTS, several radio access nodes maybe connected, e.g., by landlines or microwave, to a controller node,such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller(BSC), which supervises and coordinates various activities of the pluralbase stations connected thereto. The RNCs are typically connected to oneor more core networks.

Specifications for the Evolved Packet System (EPS) have been completedwithin the 3GPP and this work continues in the coming 3GPP releases. TheEPS comprises the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network(E-UTRAN), also known as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio access, andthe Evolved Packet Core (EPC), also known as System ArchitectureEvolution (SAE) core network. E-UTRAN/LTE is a variant of a 3GPP radioaccess technology wherein the radio access nodes are directly connectedto the EPC core network rather than to RNCs. In general, in E-UTRAN/LTEthe functions of a RNC are distributed between the radio access nodes,e.g. eNodeBs in LTE, and the core network. As such, the Radio AccessNetwork (RAN) of an EPS has an essentially “flat” architecturecomprising radio access nodes without reporting to RNCs.

The 3GPP initiative “License Assisted Access” (LAA) aims to allow LTEequipment to operate in an unlicensed 5 GHz radio spectrum. Theunlicensed 5 GHz spectrum is used as an extension to the licensedspectrum. Accordingly, communication terminals connect in the licensedspectrum to a primary cell (PCell), and use carrier aggregation tobenefit from additional transmission capacity in the unlicensed spectrumin a secondary cell (SCell). To reduce the changes required foraggregating licensed and unlicensed spectrum, an LTE frame timing in theprimary cell is simultaneously used in the secondary cell.

Regulatory requirements, however, may not permit transmissions in theunlicensed spectrum without prior channel sensing. Since the unlicensedspectrum must be shared with other radios of similar or dissimilarwireless technologies, a so called Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) method needsto be applied. Today, the unlicensed 5 GHz spectrum is mainly used bycommunication terminals implementing the IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local AreaNetwork (WLAN) standard. This standard is known under its marketingbrand “Wi-Fi.”

IEEE 802.11 equipment, also called WLAN equipment, uses a contentionbased medium access scheme. This scheme does not allow a wireless mediumto be reserved at specific instances of time. Instead, IEEE 802.11equipment or IEEE 802.11 compliant devices only support the immediatereservation of the wireless medium following the transmission of atleast one medium reservation message, e.g. Request to Send (RTS) orClear to Send (CTS) or others. To allow the Licensed Assisted (LA)-LTEframe in the secondary cell to be transmitted at recurring timeintervals that are mandated by the LTE frame in the primary cell, theLAA system transmits at least one of the aforementioned mediumreservation messages to block surrounding IEEE 802.11 equipment fromaccessing the wireless medium.

LTE uses Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) in thedownlink (DL) and Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT)-spread OFDM in theuplink (UL). A basic LTE downlink physical resource may thus be seen asa time-frequency grid as illustrated in FIG. 1, where each ResourceElement (RE) corresponds to one OFDM subcarrier during one OFDM symbolinterval. A symbol interval comprises a cyclic prefix (cp), which cp isa prefixing of a symbol with a repetition of the end of the symbol toact as a guard band between symbols and/or facilitate frequency domainprocessing. Frequencies f or subcarriers having a subcarrier spacing Δfare defined along an z-axis and symbols are defined along an x-axis.

In the time domain, LTE downlink transmissions are organized into radioframes of 10 ms, each radio frame comprising ten equally-sized subframesdenoted #0-#9, each with a T_(subframe)=1 ms of length in time as shownin FIG. 2. Furthermore, the resource allocation in LTE is typicallydescribed in terms of resource blocks, where a resource blockcorresponds to one slot of 0.5 ms in the time domain and 12 subcarriersin the frequency domain. A pair of two adjacent resource blocks in timedirection covering 1.0 ms, is known as a resource block pair. Resourceblocks are numbered in the frequency domain, starting with resourceblock 0 from one end of the system bandwidth. For normal cyclic prefix,one subframe consists of 14 OFDM symbols. The duration of each OFDMsymbol is approximately 71.4 μs.

Downlink and uplink transmissions are dynamically scheduled, i.e. ineach subframe the radio access node transmits control information aboutto or from which communication terminal data is transmitted and uponwhich resource blocks the data is transmitted, in the current downlinksubframe. The control information for a given communication terminal istransmitted using one or multiple Physical Downlink Control Channels(PDCCH), and this control signaling is typically transmitted in one ormore of the first OFDM symbols, e.g. 1, 2, 3 or 4 OFDM symbols coveringa control region, in each subframe and the number n=1, 2, 3 or 4 isknown as the Control Format Indicator (CFI). Typically the controlregion may comprise many PDCCH carrying control information to multiplecommunication terminals simultaneously. A downlink system with 3 OFDMsymbols allocated for control signaling, for example the PDCCH, isillustrated in FIG. 3 and which three OFDM symbols form a controlregion. The resource elements used for control signaling are indicatedwith wave-formed lines and resource elements used for reference symbolsare indicated with diagonal lines. Frequencies f or subcarriers aredefined along a z-axis and symbols are defined along an x-axis. Thedownlink subframe also contains common reference symbols, which areknown to the receiver and used for channel estimation for coherentdemodulation of e.g. the control information. A downlink system withCFI=3 OFDM symbols as control region is illustrated in FIG. 3.

From LTE Rel-11 onwards above described resource assignments can also bescheduled on the enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel (EPDCCH).For Rel-8 to Rel-10 only PDCCH is available.

The reference symbols shown in the FIG. 3 are the Cell specificReference Symbols (CRS) and are used to support multiple functionsincluding fine time and frequency synchronization and channel estimationfor certain transmission modes.

In a wireless communication network there is a need to measure thechannel conditions in order to know what transmission parameters to use.These parameters include, e.g., modulation type, coding rate,transmission rank, and frequency allocation. This applies to uplink (UL)as well as downlink (DL) transmissions.

The scheduler that makes the decisions on the transmission parameters istypically located in the radio access node e.g. the base station (eNB).Hence, the radio access node can measure channel properties of the ULdirectly using known reference signals that the communication terminalstransmit. These measurements then form a basis for the UL schedulingdecisions that the radio access node makes, which are then sent to thecommunication terminals via a downlink control channel.

However, for the DL the radio access node is unable to measure anychannel parameters. Rather, it must rely on information that thecommunication terminals may gather and subsequently send back to theradio access node. This so-called Channel-State Information (CSI) isobtained in the communication terminals by measuring on known referencesymbols e.g. Channel-State Information Reference Symbols (CSI-RS),transmitted in the DL. See ref. 36.211 section 6.10.5 version 12.2.0,which pertains to LTE specifically.

The PDCCH/EPDCCH is used to carry Downlink Control Information (DCI) ina DCI message such as scheduling decisions and power-control commands.More specifically, the DCI comprises:

-   -   Downlink scheduling assignments, including Physical Downlink        Shared Channel (PDSCH) resource indication, transport format,        Hybrid-Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) information, and control        information related to spatial multiplexing, if applicable. A        downlink scheduling assignment also includes a command for power        control of the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) used for        transmission of HARQ acknowledgements (ACK) in response to        downlink scheduling assignments.    -   Uplink scheduling grants, including Physical Uplink Shared        Channel (PUSCH) resource indication, transport format, and        HARQ-related information. An uplink scheduling grant also        includes a command for power control of the PUSCH.    -   Power-control commands for a set of communication terminals as a        complement to the commands included in the scheduling        assignments/grants.

One PDCCH/EPDCCH carries one DCI message containing one of the groups ofinformation listed above. As multiple communication terminals may bescheduled simultaneously, and each communication terminal can bescheduled on both downlink and uplink simultaneously, there must be apossibility to transmit multiple scheduling messages within eachsubframe. Each scheduling message is transmitted on separatePDCCH/EPDCCH resources, and consequently there are typically multiplesimultaneous PDCCH/EPDCCH transmissions within each subframe in eachcell. Furthermore, to support different radio-channel conditions, linkadaptation may be used, where the code rate of the PDCCH/EPDCCH isselected by adapting the resource usage for the PDCCH/EPDCCH, to matchthe radio-channel conditions.

Here follows a discussion on a starting OFDM symbol for PDSCH and EPDCCHwithin the subframe. The OFDM symbols in a first slot are numbered from0 to 6.

For transmissions modes 1-9, the starting OFDM symbol in the first slotof the subframe for EPDCCH can be configured by higher layer signalingand the same starting OFDM symbol is in this case used for thecorresponding scheduled PDSCH. Both sets have the same EPDCCH startingsymbol for these transmission modes. If not configured by higher layers,the starting OFDM symbol for both PDSCH and EPDCCH is given by the CFIvalue signalled in Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH).

Multiple starting OFDM symbol candidates may be achieved by configuringthe communication terminal in transmission mode 10, by having multipleEPDCCH Physical Resource Block (PRB) configuration sets where for eachset the starting OFDM symbol in the first slot in a subframe for EPDCCHcan be configured by higher layers to be a value from {1,2,3,4},independently for each EPDCCH set. If a set is not higher layerconfigured to have a fixed starting OFDM symbol, then the EPDCCHstarting OFDM symbol for this set follows the CFI value received inPCFICH.

For transmission mode 10 and when receiving DCI format 2D, the startingOFDM symbol in the first slot of a subframe for PDSCH is dynamicallysignaled in the DCI message to the communication terminal using two“PDSCH Resource Element (RE) Mapping and QCL Indicator”, PQI for short,bits in the DCI format 2D. Up to four possible OFDM start values is thuspossible to signal to the communication terminal and the OFDM startvalues may be taken from the set {1,2,3,4}. Which OFDM start value eachof the four states of the PQI bits represents, is configured by RadioResource Control (RRC) signaling to the communication terminal. Forexample, it is possible that e.g. PQI=“00” and PQI=“01” represent PDSCHstart symbol 1 and PQI=“10” and PQI=“11” represents PDSCH start symbol2. It is also possible to assign a PQI state, e.g. “00”, to indicatethat the value CFI in the PCFICH should be used for PDSCH start symbolassignment.

Moreover, in transmission mode 10, when EPDCCH is configured and whenDCI format 2D is received, the starting OFDM symbol for each of the twoEPDCCH sets re-use the PDSCH start symbol of a PQI state configured forPDSCH to the communication terminal. Note that these EPDCCH startsymbols are not dynamically varying, in which case they would have beenvarying from subframe to subframe, but are semi-statically configured byhigher layer signaling, and taken from the higher layer configuredparameters related to the PQI states. For example, if PQI=“00” andPQI=“01” represent PDSCH start symbol 1 and PQI=“10” and PQI=“11”represent PDSCH start symbol 2, then EPDCCH set 1 and 2 can only startat either OFDM symbol 1 or 2 in this example since these are the startvalues used for PDSCH. Which one is used for each EPDCCH set is alsoconveyed by RRC signaling to the communication terminal when configuringthe EPDCCH parameters. For example EPDCCH set 1 use start symbol 1 andEPDCCH set 2 use start symbol 2 in this non-limiting example. Note thatthe start symbols for each EPDCCH set is fixed until it is re-configuredin a RRC re-configuration whereas a PDSCH scheduled from any of the twoEPDCCH sets can be signaled dynamically to start at either symbol 1 or2, using the PQI bits.

The LTE Rel-10 standard supports bandwidths larger than 20 MHz. Oneimportant requirement on LTE Rel-10 is to assure backward compatibilitywith LTE Rel-8. This should also include spectrum compatibility. Thatwould imply that an LTE Rel-10 carrier, wider than 20 MHz, should appearas a number of LTE carriers to an LTE Rel-8 terminal. Each such carriercan be referred to as a Component Carrier (CC). In particular for earlyLTE Rel-10 deployments it can be expected that there will be a smallernumber of LTE Rel-10-capable communication terminals compared to manyLTE legacy communication terminals. Therefore, it is necessary to assurean efficient use of a wide carrier also for legacy communicationterminals, i.e. that it is possible to implement carriers where legacycommunication terminals may be scheduled in all parts of the widebandLTE Rel-10 carrier. The straightforward way to obtain this would be bymeans of Carrier Aggregation (CA). CA implies that an LTE Rel-10communication terminal may receive multiple CC, where the CC have, or atleast has the possibility to have, the same structure as a Rel-8carrier. CA is illustrated in FIG. 4.

The number of aggregated CC as well as the bandwidth of the individualCC may be different for uplink and downlink. A symmetric configurationrefers to the case where the number of CCs in downlink and uplink is thesame whereas an asymmetric configuration refers to the case where thenumber of CCs is different between UL and DL. It is important to notethat the number of CCs configured in a cell may be different from thenumber of CCs seen by a communication terminal. For example, acommunication terminal may support more downlink CCs than uplink CCs,even though the cell is configured with the same number of uplink anddownlink CCs.

Scheduling of a CC is done on the PDCCH or EPDCCH via downlinkassignments. Control information on the PDCCH/EPDCCH is formatted as aDownlink Control Information (DCI) message. In Rel-8 a communicationterminal only operates with one DL and one UL CC. The associationbetween DL assignment, UL grants and the corresponding DL and UL CCs istherefore clear. In Rel-10 two modes of CA needs to be distinguished. Afirst case is very similar to the operation of multiple Rel-8communication terminals, a DL assignment or UL grant contained in a DCImessage transmitted on a CC is either valid for the DL CC itself or foran associated, either via cell-specific or communication terminalspecific linking, UL CC. A second mode of operation, denotedcross-carrier scheduling, augments a DCI message with a CarrierIndicator Field (CIF). A DCI message containing a DL assignment with CIFis valid for the indicated DL CC and a DCI message containing an ULgrant with CIF is valid for the indicated UL CC. The DCI messagetransmitted using EPDCCH which was introduced in Rel-11 can also carryCIF which means that cross-carrier scheduling is supported also whenusing EPDCCH.

In typical deployments of WLAN, Carrier Sense Multiple Access withCollision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) is used. This means that the channel issensed, and only if the channel is declared as Idle, a transmission isinitiated. In case the channel is declared as Busy, the transmission isessentially deferred until the channel is found Idle. When the range ofseveral radio access nodes using the same frequency overlap, this meansthat all transmissions related to one radio access node might bedeferred in case a transmission on the same frequency to or from anotherradio access node which is within range can be detected. Effectively,this means that if several radio access nodes are within range, theywill have to share the channel in time, and the throughput for theindividual radio access nodes may be severely degraded. A generalillustration of the LBT mechanism is shown in FIG. 5. During a firsttime interval T₁ the radio access node performs Clear Channel Assessment(CCA) using energy detection of a wireless channel. Traffic is notdetected during the first time interval T₁, T₁≥20 μs. The radio accessnode then occupies the wireless channel and starts data transmissionover a second time interval T₂. The second time interval may be in therange of 1 ms to 10 ms. The radio access node may then send control(CTRL) signals without performing a CCA check over a fifth time intervalT₅ because the channel has already been occupied by the radio accessnode for the data transmission. Then during a time period T₃ of length≥0.05T₂, the radio access node remains idle, meaning that the radioaccess node does not transmit on the wireless channel. At the end of theIdle period, the radio access node performs CCA and detects that thechannel is being used for other traffic. Then during a fourth timeinterval T₄ being defined as T₂+T₃ the radio access node is prohibitedto transmit on the wireless channel, as it was found to be occupied byother traffic. The radio access node starts a CCA at the end of theprohibited time T₄. The radio access node performs CCA using energydetection at the end of the fourth time interval T₄. As the CCAindicates that the wireless channel is free, the radio access node mayoccupy the channel and start a data transmission.

Up to now, the spectrum used by LTE is dedicated to LTE. This has theadvantage that LTE system does not need to care about the coexistenceissue and the spectrum efficiency can be maximized. However, thespectrum allocated to LTE is limited which cannot meet the everincreasing demand for larger throughput from applications/services.Therefore, discussions are ongoing in 3GPP to initiate a new study itemon extending LTE to exploit unlicensed spectrum in addition to licensedspectrum. Unlicensed spectrum can, by definition, be simultaneously usedby multiple different technologies. Therefore, LTE needs to consider thecoexistence issue with other systems such as IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi).Operating LTE in the same manner in unlicensed spectrum as in licensedspectrum can seriously degrade the performance of Wi-Fi as Wi-Fi willnot transmit once it detects that the channel is occupied.

Furthermore, one way to utilize the unlicensed spectrum reliably is totransmit essential control signals and channels on a licensed carrier.That is, as shown in FIG. 6, a communication terminal is connected to aPCell in the licensed band or spectrum and one or more SCells in theunlicensed band or spectrum. A secondary cell in unlicensed spectrum isherein denoted as license assisted secondary cell (LA SCell).

Prior to occupying a channel in an unlicensed band, the network needs tocheck the availability of the channel by means of LBT. When the networkhas already accessed a channel, it may, in the following and adjacenttransmission time interval, start transmission immediately, e.g. fromsymbol 0, without performing LBT.

Herein it is assumed that control information to the communicationterminal is transmitted on a carrier where LBT does not need to be used,but that data transmissions to the communication terminal are scheduledon the carrier where LBT needs to be used. This is denoted cross-carrierscheduling. Whether LBT is used in a subframe is a network, or radioaccess node, decision. It is thus a problem how the communicationterminal will know whether the radio access node is performing LBT ornot, since it impacts the mapping of EPDCCH and PDSCH modulated symbolsto resource elements. When LBT is performed, the network cannottransmit, and if the channel is unoccupied, the data transmission canstart only after the LBT period. When LBT is not performed, transmissionmay, as mentioned above, start immediately in the following and adjacenttransmission time interval or subframe. Hence, the starting OFDM symbolfor data is different depending on whether LBT is performed or not. Ifthe starting OFDM symbol is unknown at the communication terminal, thecommunication terminal is unable to receive messages. This will lead toa limited performance of the wireless communications network.

SUMMARY

An object of embodiments herein is to provide a mechanism that improvesthe performance of the wireless communications network when implementingusage of a telecommunication technology into an unlicensed spectrum e.g.where LBT is used.

The object is achieved by providing a method performed by acommunication terminal for handling communication, which communicationterminal is being served by a radio access node in a first cell on acarrier of a licensed frequency spectrum and cross-carrier scheduled ina second cell on a carrier of an unlicensed frequency spectrum by theradio access node via the first cell. The communication terminalreceives an indication that data may be scheduled for the communicationterminal on a data channel in the second cell. The communicationterminal attempts to detect presence of the data channel intended forthe communication terminal. In case the communication terminal detectspresence of the data channel intended for the communication terminal,the communication terminal decodes the data channel; and in case thecommunication terminal does not detect presence of the data channelintended for the communication terminal, the communication terminalindicates a non-detection of the data channel to the radio access node.

The object is achieved by providing a method performed by a radio accessnode for handling communication with a communication terminal in asecond cell on a carrier of an unlicensed frequency spectrum, whereinresources for communication with the communication terminal in thesecond cell are cross-carrier scheduled from a first cell on a carrierof a licensed frequency spectrum. The radio access node transmits anindication that data may be scheduled for the communication terminal ona data channel in the second cell.

The object is further achieved by providing a communication terminal forhandling communication, which communication terminal is configured tocommunicate with a radio access node in a first cell on a carrier of alicensed frequency spectrum and to be cross-carrier scheduled in asecond cell on a carrier of an unlicensed frequency spectrum by theradio access node via the first cell. The communication terminal isconfigured to receive an indication that data may be scheduled for thecommunication terminal on a data channel in the second cell. Thecommunication terminal is further configured to attempt to detectpresence of the data channel intended for the communication terminal. Incase the communication terminal detects presence of the data channelintended for the communication terminal, the communication terminal isconfigured to decode the data channel, and in case the communicationterminal does not detect presence of the data channel intended for thecommunication terminal, the communication terminal is configured toindicate a non-detection of the data channel to the radio access node.

The object is further achieved by providing a radio access node forhandling communication with a communication terminal, the radio accessnode being configured to communicate with the communication terminal ina second cell on a carrier of an unlicensed frequency spectrum, whereinresources for communication with the communication terminal in thesecond cell are cross-carrier scheduled from a first cell on a carrierof a licensed frequency spectrum. The radio access node is configured totransmit an indication that data may be scheduled for the communicationterminal on a data channel in the second cell.

By attempting to detect presence of the data channel the communicationterminal will be able to more reliably receive data transmitted on thesecond cell also when the transmission is deferred due to that LBT mustbe performed before the transmission can be made. Thereby theperformance of the wireless communication network is improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will now be described in more detail in relation to theenclosed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic overview depicting an LTE downlink physicalresource.

FIG. 2 is a schematic overview depicting an LTE frame structure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic overview depicting a downlink subframe in LTE.

FIG. 4 is a schematic overview depicting a bandwidth of a carrieraggregation.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration illustrating a LBT process or method.

FIG. 6 is a schematic overview depicting a License-assisted Access (LAA)to an unlicensed frequency spectrum using LTE carrier aggregation.

FIG. 7a is a schematic overview depicting a wireless communicationnetwork according to embodiments herein.

FIG. 7b is a flowchart of a method performed in a communication terminalaccording to embodiments herein

FIG. 7c is a flowchart of a method performed in a radio access nodeaccording to embodiments herein.

FIG. 8 is a combined flowchart and signalling scheme according toembodiments herein.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method performed in a radio access nodeaccording to some embodiments herein.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method performed in a communication terminalaccording to some embodiments herein

FIG. 11 is a block diagram depicting a radio access node according toembodiments herein.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram depicting a communication terminal accordingto embodiments herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments herein relate to wireless communication networks in general.FIG. 7a is a schematic overview depicting a wireless communicationnetwork 1. The wireless communication network 1 comprises one or moreRANs and one or more CNs. The wireless communication network 1 may use anumber of different technologies, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE),LTE-Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GlobalSystem for Mobile communications/Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution(GSM/EDGE), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), orUltra Mobile Broadband (UMB), just to mention a few possibleimplementations. The wireless communication network 1 is exemplifiedherein as an LTE network.

In the wireless communication network 1, a communication terminal 10,also known as a wireless device, a user equipment and/or a wirelessterminal, communicates via a Radio Access Network (RAN) to one or morecore networks (CN). It should be understood by the skilled in the artthat “communication terminal” is a non-limiting term which means anywireless terminal, user equipment, Machine Type Communication (MTC)device, a Device to Device (D2D) terminal, or node e.g. smartphone,laptop, mobile, sensor, relay, mobile tablets or even a small basestation communicating within a cell.

Communication terminals connect in a licensed spectrum, to a first cell11 e.g. a Primary Cell (PCell), and use carrier aggregation to benefitfrom additional transmission capacity in an unlicensed spectrum, wherebythey connect to a second cell 14 e.g. a Secondary Cell (SCell) alsoreferred to as Licensed Assisted (LA) SCell. To reduce the changesrequired for aggregating licensed and unlicensed spectrum, a frametiming in the first cell 11 is simultaneously used in the second cell14.

The wireless communication network 1 covers a geographical area which isdivided into cell areas, e.g. the first cell 11 and the second cell 14.The second cell 14 is served by a second radio access node 12 providingradio coverage over the second cell 14. The first cell 11 may also beserved by the second radio access node 12 but in the illustratedexamples herein the first cell 11 is being served by a first radioaccess node 13. The radio access nodes may be radio base stations suchas NodeBs, evolved Node Bs (eNB, eNode B), Wi-Fi access point basetransceiver stations, Access Point Base Stations, base station routers,or any other network units capable of communicating with a communicationterminal within the cell served by the respective radio access nodedepending e.g. on the radio access technology and terminology used. Theradio access nodes may serve one or more cells. A cell is a geographicalarea where radio coverage is provided by radio base station equipment ata base station site or at remote locations in Remote Radio Units (RRU).The cell definition may also incorporate frequency bands and radioaccess technology used for transmissions, which means that two differentcells may cover the same geographical area but use different frequencybands.

The radio access nodes communicate over the air or radio interfaceoperating on radio frequencies with the communication terminal 10 withinrange of the respective radio access node. The communication terminal 10transmits data over the radio interface to the respective radio accessnode in Uplink (UL) transmissions and the respective radio access nodetransmits data over an air or radio interface to the communicationterminal 10 in Downlink (DL) transmissions.

The second radio access node 12 serving the second cell 14 uses acarrier of an unlicensed frequency spectrum, which unlicensed frequencyspectrum may also be used by an access point 15 such as a WiFi modem, ahotspot or similar. Since the unlicensed frequency spectrum must beshared with other communication terminals or radio access node,potentially operating according to other radio standards such as IEEE802.11n, of similar or dissimilar wireless technologies, a so calledListen-Before-Talk (LBT) method may need to be applied. Thus, the secondradio access node 12 may use an LBT process before transmitting to thecommunication terminal 10. In embodiments herein cross-carrierscheduling is performed wherein data channels such as PDSCH and PUSCHare cross-carrier scheduled. Hence, a control channel such as the EPDCCHor PDCCH transmitted on the first cell 11 schedules the data to betransmitted on the second cell 14 in a cross-carrier manner. Embodimentsherein describe how to enable the communication terminal 10 to detectthe PDSCH e.g. blindly or automatically and how to inform the radioaccess node, such as the first radio access node 13, that thecommunication terminal 10 has detected or not detected the PDSCH.

The problem of mismatch between radio access node and communicationterminal in transmission time due to LBT is solved by the communicationterminal detecting presence of the PDSCH. The detection may be madeautonomously by the communication terminal. Further a set ofcommunication terminal and radio access node behaviors if thecommunication terminal detects the presence of the PDSCH are specifiedherein. Embodiments herein describe how to enable the communicationterminal to detect the PDSCH and how to inform the radio access nodethat the communication terminal has detected the PDSCH.

The following advantages have been identified of some embodimentsherein:

-   -   A radio access node actively chooses whether or not to schedule        data transmission to the communication terminal by performing        LBT after the PDCCH has been transmitted. This allows use of        cross-carrier scheduling by PDCCH on one carrier together with        LBT on another carrier.    -   The communication terminal 10 may adjust the time interval where        the communication terminal 10 can expect signals such as control        or data channels accordingly. This increases the reliability of        successful reception.

LBT on an unlicensed carrier may result in deciding not to transmit anPDSCH although this has been scheduled by the first radio access node13. This results in that the second radio access node 12 will performLBT and if the channel on the unlicensed carrier, i. e. the channel onthe carrier of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, is considered ordetermined to be free the second radio access node 12 will transmit aPDSCH to the communication terminal 10 according to the previously sentDL assignment on the first cell 11. The communication terminal 10 mayblindly detect presence of the PDSCH on the second cell 14 and based onif the communication terminal detects it or not the communicationterminal 10 tries to decode it. Further based on detection of presenceof the PDSCH or not on the second cell 14, the communication terminalmay indicate different HARQ feedback states on the first cell 11, or tothe first radio access node 13.

FIG. 7b is a schematic flowchart depicting the method performed by thecommunication terminal 10 for handling communication, whichcommunication terminal 10 is being served by a radio access node of thewireless communication network, such as the first radio access node 13or second radio access node 12, in the first cell 11 on a carrier of thelicensed frequency spectrum and cross-carrier scheduled in the secondcell 14 on a carrier of the unlicensed frequency spectrum by the radioaccess node via the first cell 11. The method may for example be usedfor handling communication with one or more radio access nodes on one ormore carriers of the unlicensed frequency spectrum within the wirelesscommunication network 1.

Action 711. The communication terminal 10 may in some embodimentsreceive on the first cell, a New Data Indicator, NDI, bit. The NDI bitmay indicate how to indicate that the communication terminal 10 hasreceived the scheduling DCI message but not received the data channelassociated with the scheduling DCI message.

Action 712. The communication terminal 10 receives an indication thatdata may be scheduled for the communication terminal 10 on a datachannel in the second cell 14. For example, the communication terminal10 may receive a reference signal on the second cell 14 that indicatesto the communication terminal 10 that the carrier of the unlicensedfrequency spectrum has been occupied by the second cell 14. Thereference signal may in some embodiments further indicate to thecommunication terminal 10 whether the data channel is present in asubframe or not. In one alternative, the reference signal may be commonfor all communication terminals operating on the second cell 14. Inanother alternative, the reference signal may be specific to thecommunication terminal 10. In this case the reference signal may belocated within the data channel.

Alternatively or additionally, the communication terminal 10 mayreceive, on the first cell 11, control information for the second cell14. The control information indicates where in a subframe the datachannel is scheduled in the second cell 14 for the communicationterminal 10.

Action 713. The communication terminal 10 attempts to detect presence ofthe data channel intended for the communication terminal 10. Thecommunication terminal 10 may in some embodiments attempt to detect thedata channel in the subframe as indicated by the control informationreceived on the first cell 11 in Action 712. Alternatively oradditionally, the communication terminal 10 may attempt to detect thedata channel in a subframe as indicated by the reference signal receivedon the second cell in Action 712. In other words, the communicationterminal 10 may attempt to detect the data channel in the subframecomprising the control information and/or in a separate subframe thatmay follow after the subframe comprising the control information. Insome embodiments the communication terminal 10 may detect, or attempt todetect, presence of the data channel blindly. In some embodiments, thecommunication terminal 10 may attempt to detect presence of the datachannel by correlating received reference signal sequences with a set ofknown sequences, and when the correlation is above a threshold formatching, the presence of the data channel intended for thecommunication terminal 10 is considered detected.

In some embodiments, where the data on the data channel may be scheduledwith a Demodulation Reference Signal, DMRS, based transmission scheme,the communication terminal 10 may attempt to detect the data channel bysearching for a DMRS on scheduled Physical Resource Blocks, PRBs. Basedon an outcome of the search, the communication terminal 10 may judgewhether or not the data channel intended for the communication terminal10 is scheduled in the PRBs. In further embodiments, where the data onthe data channel may be scheduled with a Cell Specific Reference Signal(CRS) based transmission scheme, the communication terminal 10 mayattempt to detect the data channel by validating allocated PhysicalResource Blocks, PRBs. If the allocated PRBs are consistent with theinformation given in a scheduling DCI message, the communicationterminal 10 determines the data channel to be detected, and if theallocated PRBs are not consistent with the information given in thescheduling DCI message, the communication terminal 10 determines thedata channel not to be present.

Action 714. In case the communication terminal 10 detects presence ofthe data channel intended for the communication terminal 10, thecommunication terminal 10 decodes the data channel.

Action 715. In case the communication terminal 10 does not detectpresence of the data channel intended for the communication terminal 10,the communication terminal 10 indicates a non-detection of the datachannel to the radio access node 12, 13. The communication terminal 10may indicate a non-detection by transmitting a Non-Acknowledgement,NACK, or Discontinuous Transmission, DTX, state, on the first cell 11.The communication terminal 10 may further indicate a non-detection ofthe data channel by indicating on the first cell 11 that thecommunication terminal 10 has received a scheduling DCI message but notreceived the data channel associated with the scheduling DCI message.

Action 716. The communication terminal 10 may reset an hybrid automaticrequest process when the data channel is detected and corresponds toinformation in the scheduling DCI message; or independently of whetherthe data channel is detected or not.

FIG. 7c is a schematic flowchart depicting the method performed by theradio access node such as the first radio access node 13 or the secondradio access node 12 for handling communication with the communicationterminal 10 in the second cell 14 on a carrier of the unlicensedfrequency spectrum, wherein resources for communication with thecommunication terminal 10 in the second cell 14 are cross-carrierscheduled from the first cell 11 on a carrier of the licensed frequencyspectrum. The method may for example be used for handling communicationwith the communication terminal on one or more carriers of theunlicensed frequency spectrum within the wireless communication network1.

Action 720. The radio access node may transmit to the communicationterminal 10 on the first cell 11, the NDI bit, which NDI bit indicateshow to indicate that the communication terminal 10 has received thescheduling DCI message but not received the data channel associated tothe scheduling DCI message.

Action 721. The radio access node transmits the indication that data maybe scheduled for the communication terminal 10 on a data channel in thesecond cell 14. In some embodiments, wherein the radio access node isconfigured to serve the communication terminal 10 in the second cell 14on the carrier of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, e.g. being thesecond radio access node 12, the radio access node may transmit theindication that data may be scheduled for the communication terminal 10by transmitting a reference signal on the second cell 14 that indicatesto the communication terminal 10 that the carrier of the unlicensedfrequency spectrum has been occupied by the second cell 14. Thereference signal may in some embodiments further indicate to thecommunication terminal 10 whether the data channel is present in asubframe transmitted on the second cell 14 or not. In one alternative,the reference signal may be common for all communication terminalsoperating on the second cell 14. In another alternative, the referencesignal may be specific to the communication terminal 10. In this casethe reference signal may be located within the data channel.

In some embodiments, where the data on the data channel may be scheduledwith a DMRS based transmission scheme, the radio access node maytransmit the indication that data may be scheduled for the communicationterminal 10 by transmitting, on scheduled PRBs, a DMRS with a modifiedpattern that indicates presence of the data channel to the communicationterminal 10. In further embodiments, the radio access node may transmitthe indication that data may be scheduled for the communication terminal10 by transmitting an extra detection RS on the second cell 14 when thecarrier of the unlicensed frequency spectrum is occupied by the secondcell 14, and wherein the extra detection RS is changes form or state toindicate to the communication terminal 10 that the data channel ispresent.

Furthermore, the radio access node may perform a Listen Before Talk(LBT) process on the carrier of the unlicensed spectrum beforetransmitting, on the second cell 14, any indication that data may bescheduled for the communication terminal 10, and transmitting theindication only when the outcome of the LBT process is that the carrierof the unlicensed frequency spectrum is free.

In some embodiments the radio access node is configured to serve thecommunication terminal 10 in the first cell 11 and to cross-carrierschedule resources for the communication terminal 10 in the second cell14 via the first cell 11. The radio access node may then, alternativelyof additionally, transmit the indication that data may be scheduled forthe communication terminal 10 by transmitting, on the first cell 11,control information for the second cell 14 to the communication terminal10, which control information indicates where in a subframe the datachannel is scheduled in the second cell 14 for the communicationterminal 10.

Action 722. In embodiments where the radio access node is configured toserve the communication terminal 10 in the first cell 11 and tocross-carrier schedule resources for the communication terminal 10 inthe second cell 14, the radio access node may then receive an indicationthat the communication terminal 10 has not received the data on the datachannel scheduled in the second cell 14. The indication may in oneexample be received on the first cell 11. The received indication may bea NACK or DTX response from the communication terminal 10 or that theradio access node does not detect any Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request,HARQ, response, for example on the first cell 11, from the communicationterminal 10 although the data channel has been transmitted to thecommunication terminal 10 on the second cell 14. The received indicationmay further indicate that the communication terminal 10 has received ascheduling DCI message but not received the data channel associated tothe scheduling DCI message.

Action 723. The radio access node may further reschedule the data on thedata channel, or adjust the data channel, based on the receivedindication. For example, the radio access node may schedule a sameredundancy version for re-transmission as used for transmission of thedata in order to improve reception of a transport block in thecommunication terminal 10 in that the transport block is repeatedlytransmitted until confirmed received.

FIG. 8 is a combined flowchart and signaling scheme according toexemplified embodiments herein, wherein the first radio access node 13performs cross carrier scheduling for the radio access node 12.

Action 801. The first radio access node 13 serving the first cell 11,such as a PCell, transmits data and/or scheduling information, e.g. DCI,regarding the first cell 11 to the communication terminal 10. It shouldbe noted that the first radio access node 13 may transmit schedulinginformation regarding or concerning the second cell 14 to thecommunication terminal 10 e.g. when performing cross carrier schedulingas stated in actions 802 and 803 below.

Action 802. The first radio access node 13 schedules the communicationterminal 10 with control information using PDCCH. The first radio accessnode 13 or a scheduler in the first radio access node 13 may also takeinto account which PDSCH resources that are available in the second cell14. So the scheduler in the first radio access node 13 may haveknowledge also about decisions made by a scheduler operating in thesecond radio access node 12. For instance, there could be a scheduler inthe second radio access node 12 scheduling communication terminalssupporting EPDCCH, i.e. terminals that do not need to be cross-carrierscheduled for PDSCH, but also scheduling communication terminals fordata transmissions, PDSCH, not supporting EPDCCH that must becross-carrier scheduled with control information, PDCCH, from firstradio access node 13. Thus, the first radio access node 13 or thescheduler in the first radio access node 13 may be cooperating with thesecond radio access node 12 or a scheduler in the second radio accessnode 12, or there may be a joint scheduler. The scheduling informationof the PDSCH may be obtained from the second radio access node 12 asindicated by the double directed arrow.

Action 803. The first radio access node 13 transmits control informationsuch as DCI to the communication terminal 10 as scheduled.

The first radio access node 13 schedules the communication terminal 10with PDCCH in a cross-carrier manner before knowing whether the channelon the Scell, i.e. on the second cell 14 is free or not. Note that thetransmission of this control information or scheduling message performedin action 803 may take place simultaneously as the LBT is performed bythe second radio access node 12, action 804 below. The first radioaccess node 13 may in some embodiments schedule the communicationterminal 10 with multiple different DL assignments such that the DLassignments may have different starting OFDM symbols. The communicationterminal 10 may then in one example make one attempt to detect PDSCH perstarting OFDM symbol candidate. Depending on when the second radioaccess node 12 detects the channel to be free one of the DL assignmentshaving a suitable starting OFDM symbol may then be applicable. A PQIindicator in the DCI message indicates a starting OFDM symbol for themapping of the PDSCH that is located after LBT has been performed on theunlicensed carrier, i.e. the second cell 14. It may further be so thatthere are multiple PQI indicators in the same DL assignment, i.e.indicating multiple starting OFDM symbols to the communication terminal10. The following single PDSCH that is sent to the communicationterminal 10 can only be sent if the channel on the carrier is consideredor determined to be free.

Action 804. The second radio access node 12 performs a LBT process andlistens to the carrier of the unlicensed frequency spectrum. The secondradio access node 12 will determine if the channel is free based on LBTon that carrier. In case it is not free, the PDSCH cannot betransmitted, despite the fact that the scheduling message has alreadybeen transmitted to the communication terminal 10. However there areseveral options for how to indicate to the communication terminal 10whether there is actually any PDSCH located there or not. Some optionsfor such indications are further outlined below.

Action 805. The second radio access node 12 may transmit data on thePDSCH in case the channel is free.

Action 806. According to embodiments herein, the communication terminal10 tries to blindly detect the presence of PDSCH intended for thecommunication terminal 10.

Action 807. According to embodiments herein, the communication terminal10 detects the presence of PDSCH intended for the communication terminal10 and then decodes the PDSCH.

-   -   For data scheduled with Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS)        based transmission schemes, as available in for example TM10:        The communication terminal 10 would be able to search for a DMRS        on the scheduled Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) and based on        the outcome of detection judge whether or not the communication        terminal 10 has been scheduled. The communication terminal 10        would then for example only search for the DMRS sequence on the        assigned PRBs in the DCI message that it has received. In other        words, the communication terminal may try to detect presence of        the DMRS to detect the presence of PDSCH. If the communication        terminal 10 detects the presence of a PDSCH the communication        terminal 10 should according to one embodiment try to decode it.        In an embodiment the communication terminal 10 may try to        correlate a known DMRS sequence or sequences with detected soft        values and if the correlation is high, e.g. above a threshold,        the communication terminal 10 may consider the DMRS based on the        DL assignment to be detected and the communication terminal 10        may then consider the PDSCH to be present.    -   For transmissions scheduled by CRS based transmission schemes or        also for DMRS based transmission schemes where DMRS detection is        not used; the communication terminal 10 may try to detect the        PDSCH by validating the scheduled or allocated PRBs, meaning        that if the scheduling corresponds to the information given in        the scheduling DCI format, a.k.a. DCI message, e.g. the        communication terminal verifies that a modulation order is        consistent with what is signaled in the DCI message, and that        the allocated PRBs are consistent with the content of the DCI        fmessage, the communication terminal 10 determines the PDSCH to        be detected. If not the PDSCH is determined not to be present.    -   An alternative approach is that an extra detection Reference        Signal (RS), a specific RS, is located somewhere on the        unlicensed carrier, i.e. on the second cell 14.        -   This specific RS could be a signal located within the            scheduled PDSCH. For example the RS could be a sequence and            pattern that is a modification to the DMRS. Alternatively a            new RS pattern is defined within the PDSCH, but it is            specific per scheduled PDSCH.        -   A different approach is that a common RS is located in the            unlicensed carrier that is common for all communication            terminals operating on it and that the presence or state of            the common RS would indicate whether the scheduled PDSCH is            present there or not. This common RS may only be present if            the channel is found to be free and by transmitting the            common RS together with the PDSCH, the second radio base            station 12 indicates to the communication terminal 10 that            it has occupied the channel. Alternatively the common RS is            always present but change some form of state if the            scheduled PDSCH is there. For instance the scrambling code            on the RS could change. The new scrambling code could be            derived using a simple operation on the prior one such as a            selective phase shift of some of the Resource Elements (RE)            comprising the RS.        -   In a possible implementation in the communication terminal            10 of the above solution the communication terminal 10 may            try to correlate the detected reference signals with a set            of known sequences. The set of known sequences may be the            different states of the specific RS possibly also including            the RS sequence. The known sequences may be correlated with            the detected or estimated soft values. If the correlation is            high, e.g. above a threshold for matching, the communication            terminal 10 considers or deems that it has detected the            presence of the signal, i.e. of the PDSCH intended for the            communication terminal 10, and would then continue with            trying to decode the PDSCH.

Action 808. If the communication terminal 10 does not detect presence ofthe PDSCH in action 806, there are several different possiblecommunication terminal behaviors for the communication terminal 10 toindicate that it has not detected the PDSCH.

1: The communication terminal 10 does not detect any PDSCH, e.g. becauseno PDSCH is transmitted or because of failed detection of PDCCH orEPDCCH, and thereby considers that the communication terminal 10 has notbeen scheduled on that HARQ process. The communication terminal 10 willnot transmit any HARQ feedback to the network. If the first radio accessnode 13 does not detect any HARQ response from the communicationterminal 10 although the second radio access node 12 has transmitted aPDSCH to the communication terminal 10 see action 802, the first radioaccess node 13 could then choose to schedule the same redundancy versionagain as the previously scheduled one to improve or optimize thereception of the transport block in the communication terminal 10increasing the chance that the transport block will be received.

A different version of the same behavior is that the communicationterminal 10 would indicate a Non-Acknowledgement (NACK), indicated witha dashed arrow in FIG. 8, as being one of many ways to indicate nonreception, or Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) state to the radio accessnode, e.g. the first radio access node 13, for the scheduling data, i.e.PDCCH or EPDCCH. Depending on which HARQ-ACK reporting format thecommunication terminal 10 is configured with, the feedback can bedefined differently or not depending on if NACK or DTX state isindicated. If the first radio access node 13 does detect an DTX/NACKresponse from the communication terminal 10 although the second radioaccess node 12 has transmitted a PDSCH to the communication terminal 10,the first radio access node 13 could then choose to schedule the sameredundancy version again as the previously scheduled one to optimize thereception of the transport block in the communication terminal 10.

2: The communication terminal 10 does not detect any PDSCH and therebyconsiders that the communication terminal 10 has not been scheduled onthat HARQ process. The communication terminal 10 will indicate to thenetwork, e.g. to the first radio access node 13, that it has receivedthe scheduling DCI message but not received the PDSCH associated to theDCI. This information can be used by the first radio access node 13 nexttime it schedules the communication terminal 10. If the first radioaccess node 13 does not detect any HARQ response from the communicationterminal 10 although the second radio access node 12 has transmitted aPDSCH to the communication terminal 10, the first radio access node 13could then choose to schedule the same redundancy version again as thepreviously scheduled one to optimize the reception of the transportblock in the communication terminal 10.

Further if the first radio access node 13 indicates a New Data Indicator(NDI) bit in the scheduling DCI format or message, there are differentpossible communication terminal behaviors:

-   -   1. The communication terminal 10 resets the HARQ process        independently of if any PDSCH is detected or not.    -   2. The communication terminal 10 resets the HARQ process only if        a PDSCH is detected that corresponds to information in the        scheduling DCI message. If a PDSCH is not detected, the        communication terminal 10 does not reset the HARQ process.        Resetting the HARQ process means that a soft buffer is reset at        the communication terminal 10, i.e. all soft values are deleted        to start over receiving a new transport block.

The HARQ feedback reported from the communication terminal 10 could alsodiffer depending on if the NDI bit is flipped or toggled, i.e. ‘0’ to‘1’ or ‘1’ to ‘0’ with respect to a previous received DCI message, ornot. If the NDI bit is not flipped the communication terminal 10 couldfor example report either NACK or DTX or nothing for the specific HARQprocess if no PDSCH is detected, whereas if the NDI bit is flipped, thecommunication terminal 10 may indicate to the network, e.g. to the firstradio access node 13, that it has not detected a PDSCH corresponding tothe scheduling DCI message. This would allow the first radio access node13 to adapt scheduling of the HARQ process the next time it schedules asame process considering the fact that the communication terminal 10 hasnot received the first scheduled PDSCH message. This is mentioned inaction 809 where the radio access node adjusts/repeats scheduling forthe communication terminal 10.

FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart depicting a method performed by a radioaccess node according to some embodiments herein. The radio access node,e.g. the first radio access node 13, being configured for cross-carrierscheduling of resources for the communication terminal in the secondcell 14.

Action 901. The radio access node may transmit control information tothe communication terminal, which control information indicates wheredata is scheduled in the second cell 14.

Action 902. The radio access node may receives the indication that thecommunication terminal has not received the data. E.g., the radio accessnode may receive a NACK from the communication terminal 10 or it may notreceive any response from the communication terminal 10.

Action 903. The radio access node may then adjust or re-schedule thedata transmission based on the received indication.

FIG. 10 is a schematic flowchart depicting a method performed by thecommunication terminal 10 according to some embodiments herein. Thecommunication terminal 10 is served by a radio access node, e.g. thefirst radio access node 13, in the first cell 11 of a licensed frequencyspectrum and by a different radio access node, e.g. second radio accessnode 12, in the second cell 14 of an unlicensed frequency spectrum. Thecommunication terminal 10 is scheduled in or on the second cell 14 bythe radio access node serving the first cell 11, i.e. cross-carrierscheduled in the second cell 14 by the first radio access node 13.

Action 101. The communication terminal 10 may receive, from the firstradio access node 13, control information, scheduling information or DCIof the second cell 14, which control information indicates where in asubframe data, PDSCH, is scheduled in the second cell 14.

Action 102. The communication terminal 10 detects, e.g. independently ofthe received control information, a presence of PDSCH, intended for thecommunication terminal 10 by comparing reference signals in a receivedtransmission from the second radio access node 12. Thus, thecommunication terminal 10 may detect presence of the data channelleading to an improved performance of the wireless communication network1.

Action 103. In case the communication terminal 10 detects presence ofPDSCH intended for the communication terminal 10, the communicationterminal 10 decodes the data channel such as PDSCH.

Action 104. In case control information indicates scheduling of PDSCHbut the communication terminal 10 does not detect the presence of PDSCHintended for the communication terminal 10, the communication terminal10 indicates a non-detection of PDSCH to e.g. the first radio accessnode 13.

In order to perform the methods herein a radio access node 100 isprovided, exemplified above as the first radio access node 13. Thedescription in the following is however equally applicable to the secondradio access node 12. FIG. 11 is a block diagram depicting the radioaccess node 100 for handling communication with the communicationterminal 10 according to embodiments herein. Handling herein meansenabling communication and/or scheduling resources for communication forthe communication terminal 10. The radio access node 100 is configuredfor cross-carrier scheduling of resources for the communication terminal10 in the second cell 14.

The radio access node 100 for handling communication with thecommunication terminal 10 in the second cell on the carrier of theunlicensed frequency spectrum is herein provided. Resources forcommunication with the communication terminal (10) in the second cell(14) are cross carrier scheduled from the first cell on the carrier ofthe licensed frequency spectrum.

The radio access node 100 is configured to transmit the indication thatdata may be scheduled for the communication terminal 10 on the datachannel in the second cell 14. The radio access node 100 may beconfigured to serve the communication terminal 10 in the second cell 14of the unlicensed frequency spectrum. The radio access node 100 may thenbe configured to transmit the indication by being configured to transmitthe reference signal on the second cell 14 that indicates to thecommunication terminal 10 that the carrier of the unlicensed frequencyspectrum has been occupied by the second cell 14. The reference signalmay in some embodiments further indicate to the communication terminal10 whether the data channel is present in a subframe transmitted on thesecond cell 14 or not. In one alternative, the reference signal may becommon for all communication terminals operating on the second cell 14.In another alternative, the reference signal may be specific to thecommunication terminal 10. In this case the reference signal may belocated within the data channel.

Alternatively or additionally, the radio access node may be configuredto serve the communication terminal 10 in the first and second cells11,14 and the radio access node may be configured to transmit theindication that data may be scheduled for the communication terminal 10by being configured to transmit, on the first cell 11, controlinformation for the second cell 14, which control information indicateswhere in a subframe the data channel is scheduled in the second cell 14for the communication terminal 10.

The data channel may be scheduled with the DMRS based transmissionscheme and the radio access node 100 may be configured to transmit theindication that data may be scheduled for the communication terminal 10by being configured to transmit a DMRS with a modified pattern onscheduled PRBs that indicates presence of the data channel to thecommunication terminal 10. The radio access node 100 may further beconfigured to transmit the indication that data may be scheduled for thecommunication terminal 10 by being configured to transmit the extradetection RS on the second cell 14 when the carrier of the unlicensedfrequency spectrum is occupied by the second cell 14. The extradetection RS may change form or state to indicate to the communicationterminal 10 that the data channel is present in a subframe. The radioaccess node 100 may be further be configured to perform a Listen BeforeTalk, LBT, process on the carrier of the unlicensed spectrum and totransmit the indication only when the outcome of the LBT process is thatthe carrier of the unlicensed frequency spectrum is free.

In some embodiments the radio access node 100 is configured to serve thecommunication terminal 10 in the first cell 11 and to cross-carrierschedule resources for the communication terminal in the second cell 14via the first cell 11. The radio access node may then be configured totransmit the indication by being configured to transmit controlinformation to the communication terminal 10, which control informationindicates where in a subframe the data channel is scheduled in thesecond cell 14 for the communication terminal 10.

The radio access node 100 may then be configured to receive anindication that the communication terminal 10 has not received the datachannel scheduled in the second cell.

The radio access node may further be configured to reschedule the datachannel based on the received indication. The received indication may bea NACK or DTX response from the communication terminal 10 or thereceived indication may be that the radio access node does to not detectany Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request, HARQ, response from thecommunication terminal 10 although the data channel is or has beentransmitted on the second cell to the communication terminal 10. Thereceived indication may indicate that the communication terminal 10 hasreceived the scheduling DCI message but not received the data channelassociated to the scheduling DCI message.

The radio access node may be configured to reschedule the data channelby being configured to schedule a same redundancy version forre-transmission as used for transmission of the data in order to improveor optimize a reception of a transport block in the communicationterminal 10.

The radio access node may be configured to transmit on the first cell 11to the communication terminal 10, the NDI bit, which NDI bit indicateshow to indicate that the communication terminal 10 has received ascheduling DCI message but not received the data channel associated tothe scheduling DCI message.

The radio access node may be configured to serve the communicationterminal in the first and/or second cell. The radio access node may bethe first radio access node 13 or the second radio access node 12, or aradio access node controlling the first and second cell.

The radio access node 100 is configured, e.g. by comprising atransmitting module 1101, to transmit the indication that data may bescheduled for the communication terminal 10 on the data channel in thesecond cell 14. Transmitting module 1101 may be configured to transmitthe indication by being configured to transmit the reference signal onthe second cell 14 that indicates to the communication terminal 10 thatthe carrier of the unlicensed frequency spectrum has been occupied bythe second cell 14. The reference signal may in some embodiments furtherindicate to the communication terminal 10 whether the data channel ispresent in a subframe transmitted on the second cell 14 or not. In onealternative, the reference signal may be common for all communicationterminals operating on the second cell 14. In another alternative, thereference signal may be specific to the communication terminal 10. Inthis case the reference signal may be located within the data channel.

Alternatively or additionally the transmitting module 1101 may beconfigured to transmit the indication by being configured to transmit,on the first cell 11, control information for the second cell 14 to thecommunication terminal 10, which control information indicates wheredata is scheduled, e.g. in a subframe, in the second cell 14. Thetransmitting module 1101 may be configured to transmit the indicationthat data may be scheduled for the communication terminal 10 as statedabove. The transmitting module 1101 may be configured to transmit to thecommunication terminal 10, the NDI bit.

The radio access node 100 may further be configured, e.g. by comprisinga receiving module 1102, to receive an indication that the communicationterminal 10 has not received the data. E.g. the radio access node 100may be configured to receive a NACK from the communication terminal 10or to not receive any response from the communication terminal 10. Thereceiving module 1102 may be configured to receive the indication thatthe communication terminal has not received the data channel scheduledto communication terminal 10 as stated above.

The radio access node 100 may further be configured, e.g. by comprisinga scheduling module 1103, to adjust or reschedule the data transmissionbased on the received indication. The scheduling module 1103 may beconfigured to reschedule the data channel based on the receivedindication as stated above. The scheduling module 1103 may be configuredto reschedule the data channel by being configured to schedule a sameredundancy version again as the previously scheduled data to optimize areception of a transport block in the communication terminal 10.

The embodiments herein for handling communication may be implementedthrough one or more processors 1104 in the radio access node 100depicted in FIG. 11, e.g. together with computer program code, whichprocessor 1104 or processing means is configured to perform thefunctions and/or method actions of the embodiments herein.

The radio access node 100 further comprises a memory 1105. The memorycomprises one or more units to be used to store data on, such as DCIinformation, LBT information, applications to perform the methodsdisclosed herein when being executed, and similar.

The methods according to the embodiments described herein for the radioaccess node 100 may be implemented by means of e.g. a computer program1106 or a computer program product, comprising instructions, i.e.,software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor,cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions describedherein, as performed by the radio access node 100. The computer program1106 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 1107, e.g. adisc or similar. The computer-readable storage medium 1107, havingstored thereon the computer program 1106, may comprise the instructionswhich, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least oneprocessor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by theradio access node 100. In some embodiments, the computer-readablestorage medium 1107 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium.

In order to perform some methods herein the communication terminal 10for handling communication or communicating with the radio access node100 is provided. Handling communication means communicating, enablingcommunication or processing scheduled resources. FIG. 12 is a blockdiagram depicting the communication terminal 10 according to embodimentsherein. The communication terminal 10 is configured to be served by theradio access node 100, e.g. the first radio access node 13, in the firstcell 11 on a carrier of a licensed frequency spectrum and by a differentradio access node e.g. second radio access node 12, in the second cell14 on a carrier of an unlicensed frequency spectrum. The different cellsmay in some embodiments be served by one and the same radio access node,e.g. second radio access node 12. The communication terminal 10 may beconfigured to be scheduled in the second cell 14 by the radio accessnode serving the first cell 11, i.e. cross-carrier scheduled in thesecond cell 14, e.g. by the first radio access node 13 or second radioaccess node 12.

Embodiments herein provide the communication terminal 10 for handlingcommunication. The communication terminal 10 is configured tocommunicate with the radio access node in the first cell 11 on thecarrier of the licensed frequency spectrum and to be cross-carrierscheduled in the second cell 14 on the carrier of the unlicensedfrequency spectrum by the radio access node via the first cell 11.

The communication terminal 10 is configured to receive the indicationthat data may be scheduled for the communication terminal 10 on the datachannel in the second cell 14. The communication terminal 10 may beconfigured to receive the indication that data may be scheduled for thecommunication terminal 10 by being configured to receive a referencesignal on the second cell 14 that indicates to the communicationterminal 10 that the carrier of the unlicensed frequency spectrum hasbeen occupied by the second cell 14. The reference signal may in someembodiments further indicate to the communication terminal 10 whetherthe data channel is present in a subframe or not. In one alternative,the reference signal may be common for all communication terminalsoperating on the second cell 14. In another alternative, the referencesignal may be specific to the communication terminal 10. In this casethe reference signal may be located within the data channel.

Alternatively or additionally, the communication terminal 10 may beconfigured to receive the indication that data may be scheduled for thecommunication terminal 10 by being configured to receive on the firstcell, control information of the second cell 14. The control informationindicates where in a subframe the data channel is scheduled in thesecond cell 14 for the communication terminal 10. The communicationterminal 10 may then be configured to attempt to detect the data channelin the subframe. The communication terminal 10 may be configured toreceive the indication that data may be scheduled for the communicationterminal 10 by being configured to receive a reference signal on thesecond cell 14 that indicates to the communication terminal 10 that thecarrier of the unlicensed frequency spectrum has been occupied by thesecond cell 14.

The communication terminal 10 is configured to attempt to detectpresence of the data channel intended for the communication terminal 10.The communication terminal 10 may be configured to detect presence ofthe data channel blindly.

The communication terminal 10 is further configured to, in case thecommunication terminal 10 detects presence of the data channel intendedfor the communication terminal 10, decode the data channel.

The communication terminal 10 is also configured to, in case thecommunication terminal 10 does not detect presence of the data channelintended for the communication terminal 10, indicate a non-detection ofthe data channel to the radio access node. The communication terminalmay be configured to indicate the non-detection by being configured totransmit a NACK or a DTX state on the first cell 11.

The communication terminal may be configured to indicate thenon-detection by being configured to indicate on the first cell 11 thatthe communication terminal 10 has received the scheduling DCI messagebut not received the data channel associated with the scheduling DCImessage.

The communication terminal may be configured to receive on the firstcell, the NDI bit, which NDI bit indicates how to indicate that thecommunication terminal 10 has received the scheduling DCI message butnot received the data channel associated with the scheduling DCImessage.

The communication terminal may be configured to reset the HARQ processwhen the data channel is detected and corresponds to information in theDCI message; or independently of whether the data channel is detected ornot.

In some embodiments the data channel is scheduled with a DMRS basedtransmission scheme and the communication terminal 10 may be configuredto attempt detect the data channel by being configured to search for aDMRS on scheduled PRBs, and based on an outcome of the searching, tojudge whether or not the communication terminal 10 is scheduled in thePRBs.

In some embodiments the data channel is scheduled with a Cell SpecificReference Signal based transmission scheme; and the communicationterminal 10 may be configured to attempt to detect the data channel bybeing configured to validate allocated PRBs. If the allocated PRBs areconsistent with information given in the DCI message, to determine thedata channel to be detected, and if the allocated PRBs are notconsistent with the information given in the scheduling DCI message, thecommunication terminal 10 may be configured to determine the datachannel not to be present.

The communication terminal 10 may be configured to attempt to detectpresence of the data channel by being configured to correlate receivedreference signal sequences with a set of known sequences, and when thecorrelation is above a threshold for matching, the presence of the datachannel intended for the communication terminal 10 is considereddetected.

The communication terminal 10 may be configured, e.g. by comprising areceiving module 1201, to receive an indication that data may bescheduled for the communication terminal 10 in the second cell 14. Theindication may be received on the first cell and/or on the second cell14. In some embodiments, the indication may be control information,scheduling information or DCI of the second cell 14, which controlinformation indicates where in a subframe data, PDSCH, is scheduled inthe second cell 14.

The communication terminal 10 is configured, e.g. by comprising adetecting module 1202, to detect, e.g. independently of the receivedcontrol information, a presence of PDSCH intended for the communicationterminal 10 by comparing reference signals in a received transmissionfrom the second radio access node 12.

In case the communication terminal 10 detects the presence of PDSCHintended for the communication terminal 10, the communication terminal10 is configured, e.g. by comprising a decoding module 1203, to decodethe PDSCH.

In case the control information indicates PDSCH but the communicationterminal 10 does not detect the presence of PDSCH intended for thecommunication terminal 10, the communication terminal 10 is configured,e.g. by comprising an indicating module 1204, to indicate anon-detection of PDSCH on the first cell 11.

The receiving module 1201 may be configured to receive the indicationthat data may be scheduled for the communication terminal 10 by beingconfigured to receive a reference signal on the second cell 14 thatindicates to the communication terminal 10 that the carrier of theunlicensed frequency spectrum has been occupied by the second cell 14.The reference signal may in some embodiments further indicate to thecommunication terminal 10 whether the data channel is present in asubframe or not. In one alternative, the reference signal may be commonfor all communication terminals operating on the second cell 14. Inanother alternative, the reference signal may be specific to thecommunication terminal 10. In this case the reference signal may belocated within the data channel. The receiving module 1201 may beconfigured to receive the indication that data may be scheduled for thecommunication terminal 10 on the data channel in the second cell 14. Thereceiving module 1201 may be configured to receive the indication thatdata may be scheduled for the communication terminal 10 by beingconfigured to receive on the first cell, control information of thesecond cell 14. The control information indicates where in a subframethe data channel is scheduled in the second cell 14 for thecommunication terminal 10. The detecting module 1202 may then beconfigured to attempt to detect the data channel in the subframe.

The detecting module 1202 may be configured to attempt to detectpresence of the data channel intended for the communication terminal 10.The detecting module 1202 may be configured to detect presence of thedata channel blindly.

The decoding module 1203 may further be configured to, in case thedetecting module 1202 detects presence of the data channel intended forthe communication terminal 10, decode the data channel.

The indicating module 1204 may be configured to, in case the detectingmodule 1202 does not detect presence of the data channel intended forthe communication terminal 10, indicate a non-detection of the datachannel to the radio access node. The indicating module 1204 may beconfigured to indicate the non-detection by being configured to transmita NACK or DTX state on the first cell 11.

The indicating module 1204 may be configured to indicate thenon-detection by being configured to indicate on the first cell 11 thatthe communication terminal 10 has received the scheduling DCI messagebut not received the data channel associated with the scheduling DCImessage.

The receiving module 1201 may be configured to receive on the firstcell, the NDI bit, which NDI bit indicates how to indicate that thecommunication terminal 10 has received the scheduling DCI message butnot received the data channel associated with the scheduling DCImessage.

In some embodiments the data channel is scheduled with a DMRS basedtransmission scheme and the receiving module 1201 may be configured toattempt to detect the data channel by being configured to search for aDMRS on scheduled PRBs, and based on an outcome of the searching, tojudge whether or not the communication terminal 10 is scheduled.

In some embodiments the data channel is scheduled with a Cell SpecificReference Signal based transmission scheme; and the detecting module1202 may be configured to attempt to detect the data channel by beingconfigured to validate allocated PRBs. If the allocated PRBs areconsistent with the information given in the DCI message, the detectingmodule 1202 may be configured to determine the data channel to bedetected, and if the allocated PRBs are not consistent with theinformation given in the scheduling DCI message, the detecting module1202 may be configured to determine the data channel not to be present.

The detecting module 1202 may be configured to attempt to detect bybeing configured to correlate received reference signal sequences with aset of known sequences, and when the correlation is above a thresholdfor matching, the presence of the data channel intended for thecommunication terminal 10 is considered detected.

The embodiments herein for handling communication with the radio accessnode may be implemented through one or more processors 1205 in thecommunication terminal 10 depicted in FIG. 12, e.g. together withcomputer program code, which processor 1205 or processing means isconfigured to perform the functions and/or method actions of theembodiments herein.

The communication terminal 10 further comprises a memory 1206. Thememory comprises one or more units to be used to store data on, such asDCI information, PQI information, reference signals, applications toperform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar.

The methods according to the embodiments described herein for thecommunication terminal 10 may be implemented by means of e.g. a computerprogram 1207 or a computer program product, comprising instructions,i.e., software code portions, which, when executed on at least oneprocessor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actionsdescribed herein, as performed by the communication terminal 10. Thecomputer program 1207 may be stored on a computer-readable storagemedium 1208, e.g. a disc or similar. The computer-readable storagemedium 1208, having stored thereon the computer program 1207, maycomprise the instructions which, when executed on at least oneprocessor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actionsdescribed herein, as performed by the communication terminal 10. In someembodiments, the computer-readable storage medium 1208 may be anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

According to embodiments herein a method performed in a radio accessnode is provided. The radio access node schedules a communicationterminal in a cross carrier manner, i.e. the radio access node schedulestransmissions for the communication terminal in a first cell served bythe radio access node, referred below as a first radio access node, butalso for a second cell controlled by a different radio access node,referred below as a second radio access node, wherein the second cell isof or belongs to an unlicensed frequency spectrum. The first cell may bea primary cell and the second cell may be a secondary cell. The radioaccess node transmits control information to the communication terminal,which control information indicates where data is scheduled in thesecond cell. The radio access node receives an indication that thecommunication terminal has not received the data transmission. The radioaccess node adjusts or reschedules the data transmission based on thereceived indication.

According to embodiments herein a method performed in a communicationterminal is provided. The communication terminal detects, independentlyof received control information, also referred to as blindly detecting,a presence of PDSCH intended for the communication terminal by comparingreference signals in a received transmission from the second radioaccess node. In case the communication terminal detects the presence ofPDSCH intended for the communication terminal, the communicationterminal decodes the PDSCH. In case control information indicates PDSCHbut the communication terminal does not detect the presence of PDSCHintended for the communication terminal, the communication terminalindicates a non-detection of PDSCH to the first radio access node.

As will be readily understood by those familiar with communicationsdesign, functions means or modules may be implemented using digitallogic and/or one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or otherdigital hardware. In some embodiments, several or all of the variousfunctions may be implemented together, such as in a singleapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or in two or moreseparate devices with appropriate hardware and/or software interfacesbetween them. Several of the functions may be implemented on a processorshared with other functional components of a communication terminal orradio access node, for example.

Alternatively, several of the functional elements of the processor orprocessing means discussed may be provided through the use of dedicatedhardware, while others are provided with hardware for executingsoftware, in association with the appropriate software or firmware.Thus, the term “processor” or “controller” as used herein does notexclusively refer to hardware capable of executing software and mayimplicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP)hardware, read-only memory (ROM) for storing software, random-accessmemory for storing software and/or program or application data, andnon-volatile memory. Other hardware, conventional and/or custom, mayalso be included. Designers of communications receivers will appreciatethe cost, performance, and maintenance tradeoffs inherent in thesedesign choices.

Modifications and other embodiments of the disclosed embodiments willcome to mind to one skilled in the art having the benefit of theteachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associateddrawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the embodiment(s)is/are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and thatmodifications and other embodiments are intended to be included withinthe scope of this disclosure. Although specific terms may be employedherein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and notfor purposes of limitation.

1. A method performed by a communication terminal for handlingcommunication, which communication terminal is being served by a radioaccess node in a first cell on a carrier of a licensed frequencyspectrum and cross-carrier scheduled in a second cell on a carrier of anunlicensed frequency spectrum by the radio access node via the firstcell, the method comprising: receiving an indication that data may bescheduled for the communication terminal on a data channel in the secondcell; attempting to detect presence of the data channel intended for thecommunication terminal; in case the communication terminal detectspresence of the data channel intended for the communication terminal,decoding the data channel; and in case the communication terminal doesnot detect presence of the data channel intended for the communicationterminal, indicating a non-detection of the data channel to the radioaccess node.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receivingthe indication that data may be scheduled for the communication terminalcomprises receiving, on the first cell, control information for thesecond cell, which control information indicates where in a subframe thedata channel is scheduled in the second cell for the communicationterminal and wherein the communication terminal attempts to detect thedata channel in the subframe.
 3. The method according to claim 1,wherein the receiving the indication that data may be scheduled for thecommunication terminal comprises receiving a reference signal on thesecond cell that indicates to the communication terminal that thecarrier of the unlicensed frequency spectrum has been occupied by thesecond cell.
 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the referencesignal further indicates to the communication terminal whether the datachannel is present in a subframe or not, and wherein the communicationterminal attempts to detect the data channel when the reference signalindicates that the data channel is present in the subframe.
 5. Themethod according to claim 4, wherein the reference signal is common forall communication terminals operating on the second cell.
 6. The methodaccording to claim 4, wherein the reference signal specific to thecommunication terminal and located within the data channel.
 7. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the attempting to detect presenceof the data channel comprises blindly detecting presence of the datachannel.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indicating anon-detection comprises indicating a Non-Acknowledgement, NACK, orDiscontinuous Transmission, DTX, state on the first cell.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the indicating a non-detection of the datachannel comprises to indicate on the first cell that the communicationterminal has received a scheduling Downlink Control Information, DCI,message but not received the data channel associated with the schedulingDCI message.
 10. The method according to claim 9, further comprisingreceiving on the first cell, a New Data Indicator, NDI, bit which NDIbit indicates how to indicate that the communication terminal hasreceived the scheduling Downlink Control Information, DCI, message butnot received the data channel associated with the scheduling DCImessage.
 11. The method according to claim 10, further comprisingresetting an hybrid automatic request process when the data channel isdetected and corresponds to information in the scheduling DownlinkControl Information, DCI, message; or independently of whether the datachannel is detected or not.
 12. The method according to claim 1, whereinthe data on the data channel is scheduled with a Demodulation ReferenceSignal, DMRS, based transmission scheme and wherein the attempting todetect the data channel comprises searching for a DMRS on scheduledPhysical Resource Blocks, PRBs; and based on an outcome of the searchingjudging whether or not the data channel intended for the communicationterminal 10 is scheduled in the PRBs.
 13. The method according to claim1, wherein the data on the data channel is scheduled with a CellSpecific Reference Signal based transmission scheme; wherein theattempting to detect the data channel comprises to validate allocatedPhysical Resource Blocks, PRBs, and if the allocated PRBs are consistentwith information given in a scheduling Downlink Control Information,DCI, message, to determine the data channel to be detected, and if theallocated PRBs are not consistent with the information given in thescheduling DCI message, the data channel is determined not to bepresent.
 14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the attempting todetect presence of the data channel comprises correlating receivedreference signal sequences with a set of known sequences, and when thecorrelation is above a threshold for matching, the presence of the datachannel intended for the communication terminal is considered detected.15. A method performed by a radio access node for handling communicationwith a communication terminal in a second cell on a carrier of anunlicensed frequency spectrum, wherein resources for communication withthe communication terminal in the second cell are cross-carrierscheduled from a first cell on a carrier of a licensed frequencyspectrum; the method comprising transmitting an indication that data maybe scheduled for the communication terminal on a data channel in thesecond cell.
 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the radioaccess node is configured to serve the communication terminal in thesecond cell on the carrier of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, whereinthe transmitting the indication that data may be scheduled for thecommunication terminal comprises transmitting a reference signal on thesecond cell that indicates to the communication terminal that thecarrier of the unlicensed frequency spectrum has been occupied by thesecond cell.
 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the referencesignal further indicates to the communication terminal whether the datachannel is present in a subframe transmitted on the second cell or not.18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the reference signal iscommon for all communication terminals operating on the second cell. 19.The method according to claim 17, wherein the reference signal specificto the communication terminal and located within the data channel. 20.The method according to claim 15, wherein the data on the data channelis scheduled with a Demodulation Reference Signal, DMRS, basedtransmission scheme and the transmitting the indication that data may bescheduled for the communication terminal comprises transmitting, onscheduled Physical Resource Blocks, PRBs, a DMRS with a modified patternthat indicates presence of the data channel to the communicationterminal. 21-33. (canceled)